It's also a sonic master class in marital counseling and commitment, wherein Beyoncé emerges with the upper hand and a contrite Jay is lucky she's so gracious. Vocally, it's a similar story: Beyoncé shines here, balancing light rap verses ("Apeshit" and "Nice") with some of the prettiest vocals she's recorded in years ("Friends"), while Jay offers his standard braggadocious bars that nonetheless make an impact for their occasional honesty and humility.

The record is a little shaky, but it's to the band's benefit that they retain a desire to not be so serious. At those moments, the Vaccines deliver some rock & roll spark.

Powell tends to overwhelm on the suite of Ziggy Stardust numbers, painting everything with swathes of synths--but the performance is invigorating even with its flaws.

Winslow-King's accompanists on Blue Mesa deliver strong work that complements the songs beautifully, especially guitarist Roberto Luti, keyboard man Mike Lynch, and drummer Chris Davis. Blue Mesa may find Luke Winslow-King going through some changes, but the result is some of his very best music to date.

Ovlov started strong with Am; with TRU they have made good on all that promise and released the kind of breathtakingly great record most bands can only dream about making.

His harmonic components (his solos, chord voicings, and overall soundscapes) are all improvised and worked out in the studio. Ultimately, what could sound like average contemporary jazz fluff, in Kiefer's hands sounds instead like the liquid dreams of jazz-funk aliens.

The best songs on Back Roads and Abandoned Motels are a lovely reminder of what the Jayhawks have been doing so well for over 30 years, and if this album might make one wonder if Gary Louris is running low on songwriting ideas, he still leads a band to be reckoned with.

In hindsight, it's possible to hear some of the profound loneliness of Liars' next album TFCF and the disorienting washes of Hemphill's subsequent work as Nonpareils in this score, and for that reason alone, 1/1 is more than just a commissioned work--as much as any one release from this band could, it sums up their approach and points the way forward.

A welcome return, Across the Meridian reaffirms that music is a little weirder and a lot more wonderful with Pram back in it--it's as if they spent the past decade globe-trotting a world of their own and returned with these brilliant vignettes as souvenirs for their listeners.

A few judicious cuts here and there and it would have been a very strong extended play instead of an uneven album that doesn't quite reach the level the duo attained on Hair. It's still worth checking out for fans either artist though, especially if their eccentric natures are their main attraction.

Evidently remaining under no pressure to assimilate with commercial R&B or even commit to traditional song structures, the musicians whip up another mixture of loose dance grooves and languid ballads. The effect is only a shade less stimulating than that of their previous LP.

Semblance isn't Forma's most consistent album, but their approach to rhythm is more innovative here than it was on their past releases, and their continued progression remains exciting to witness.

While a bit mercurial in nature, by its overall impression, How Many Times Have You Driven By is a grooving, otherworldly standout that establishes Vu as one to watch.

Thanks to its wandering nature, Cloud Corner is the kind of album that benefits from repeat listens, unspooling, shifting, and then settling a little more with each meditative revolution.

It's heartfelt and gutsy, performed without flash but with steely spirit, feelings that elevate Blow Your Mind above many of the other records in Johnson's solo discography.

A powerful tool for repairing a broken heart and indicative of an even brighter future, Lost & Found is satisfying and promising at once.

It is a music of sense and memory perceptions, a sonic projection equal to but different from the sources that inspired it. When all are assembled, they constitute a deep, mysterious, and occasionally disruptive journey into shade, texture, nuance, and seductive persuasion.

Deeper cuts like "Voices at the Window," "Floating on Water," and the ethereal closer "You Ought to Know" deal in more abstract vistas, delivering different hues culled from the same retro spectrum, resulting in something that has more in common with the spacy, neo-psych-rock emissions of the Flaming Lips than it does crusty ethno-doom metal.

At their best, Chromeo are a big, dumb party, the embodiment of guilty pleasure much like the cheesiest moments of the '80s hits they emulate. But a few choice songs, special guests, and Chromeo's studied arsenal of '80s signifiers can't keep Head Over Heels from growing tiresome, absent the hooks required to keep the party going.

Like Rae Sremmurd and Migos, these big-bass trap anthems owe much to their club-friendly vibe, but offer little in terms of substance or lasting impact.

One might reasonably expect that a more mature edition of Belly would seem less fiery than what they delivered back in the day, and the craft of this album is all one could hope for, but there's a bit too much drift and not enough clear focus for Dove to qualify as a true return to form.

Tim Wheeler--who produced the record on his own--is as much a craftsman as a songwriter, hammering out melodies and riffs, and his resulting tunes aren't fashionable, but they are sturdy.

While Middle Kids showed plenty of promise on their 2017 debut EP, Lost Friends is where they show they can make a proper album and actually improve on their bag of musical tricks, and it's a strong and engaging work.

Their Prime is an impressive debut from a group that has already gone a long way toward moving past their influences, and Jo Passed is clearly a band to watch.

One of the best aspects of The Return is how balanced the songs feel, weaving in bits of modern electronic dance and hip-hop flourishes as on the stuttering, breakbeat-infused "Catch the Loop," and the equally kinetic "Broken Theme." While The Return implies, and often delivers on, Williams' clear desire to recapture the plasmic spirit of vintage '70s jazz-funk, the album is less of a return to past traditions and more of a rebirth.

That Tanukichan have come up with an album that sounds original and true while bringing deep emotions along for the ride is truly something worth commending.

Blueprint confirms that album's excellence was no fluke, and as she approaches 60 years of age, Alice Bag is one of the most exciting and compelling new artists currently making music. Let's hope she has another album this good in her to make this a hat trick.

Another exhilarating triumph from one of the most original underground electronic artists.